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In contrast to the fairly common exostoses in the external auditory canal, hyperostoses and osteomas of the internal auditory canal are extremely rare. In this case report we present a patient with sudden right-sided sensorineural hearing loss, in whom imaging revealed hyperostosis with bilateral stenosis of the internal auditory canal. Whether the connection of such radiological findings with dysfunction of cranial nerves VII and VIII be causal or coincidental is controversially discussed in the literature. Therefore, the indication for surgical intervention should be considered with extreme caution. Despite examination of our radiology database comprising almost 1000 MRI/CT temporal bone investigations, we could find no other cases of hyperostosis of the petrous bone. This case thus represents a rare disease, which should be considered a differential diagnosis.

Background: Anterior cervical spine surgery is a common procedure for fusions and/or discectomies. Postoperative dysphonia and dysphagia are known complications. In this study, we examined the frequency and outcomes of these complications in this patient population., Materials and Methods: Patients planned to receive anterior cervical spine surgery between 01.03.2010 and 28.02.2011 at the Department of Neurosurgery, St. Gallen were prospectively included. Patients were evaluated using laryngoscopy, fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES), voice field measurements and validated questionnaires., Results: From the 53 patients included in the study, 40 had at least one complete follow-up examination. The frequency of postoperative dysphonia due to recurrent nerve palsy was 4/40 (10 %), although this was temporary in 3 patients. FEES revealed a pathological result in 18.9 % of patients. Postoperative Swallowing Quality of Life Questionnaire (Swal-QoL) scores were significantly lower., Conclusion: At a frequency of 10 %, dysphonia due to recurrent nerve palsy is a relevant complication in cervical spine surgery, albeit temporary in most cases. Postoperative dysphagia is common and should be evaluated and treated during follow-up.

In the present case study, a 75-year-old, immunosuppressed man presented with recurrent cervical abscesses after a peritonsillar abscess. In the cervical region, an ulcer developed with persistent wound healing deficit. Subsequently, the patient's general condition deteriorated, showing symptoms of a Landouzy sepsis. In the course of the examination, Mycobacteria tuberculosis was detected in the cervical ulcer. He suffered from latent tuberculosis, which was reactivated by a combination of his disease, immunosuppressive therapy and the preceding peritonsillar abscess. Upon treatment with tuberculostatics, the patient fully recovered.

A 54-year-old cattle farmer presented with crusty purulent plaques in the neck area. The clinical picture and microscopical proof of hyphae in the skin smear combined with Wood's lamp testing led to the diagnosis of Tinea barbae, a mycological infection of the skin transmitted by cattle (typically Trichophyton verrucosum). Therapy with itraconazole 200 mg q.d. p.o. and miconazole ointment 1×/day over 2 weeks was successful. This case report and its image are designed to bring attention to this rarely diagnosed pathology.